ESPN’s Enrique Rojas reported that the WBSC Americas has voted to organize the Baseball Copa America in 2025.
The event would pit the top 12 teams from North and South America in the WBSC’s World Baseball Rankings in a tournament that would eventually distribute berths in the World Baseball Classic, Olympic Games, and other championships.
Currently, the 12 highest ranked teams in the World Baseball Rankings from North and South America are Mexico (No. 2), Venezuela (No. 4), the United States (No. 5), Puerto Rico (No. 8), Cuba (No. 9), Panama (No. 10), Colombia (No. 11), the Dominican Republic (No. 12), Nicaragua (No. 16), Canada (No. 22), Brazil (No. 24), and Curacao (No. 29).
The WBSC Premier12, an event pitting the top 12 teams in the World Baseball Rankings against each other, begins November 9.
Rojas reported that the event will debut in November 2025, and that the United States, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic are candidates to host the first edition of the Copa America, and that a decision could be made before the end of the year.
There are numerous Major League Baseball stadiums in the southern U.S. that could host the Copa America, though Miami’s loanDepot Park is likely at the top of the list. The home of the Miami Marlins hosted pool play and the semifinals and finals of the 2023 World Baseball Classic, as well as the 2024 Caribbean Series.
Mexico’s largest baseball stadium is the 21,803-seat Estadio Exxon Mobil Super in Monterrey, home of the Sultanes de Monterrey of the Liga Mexicana de Beisbol and Liga ARCO Mexicana del Pacifico, though numerous other ballparks in the country could potentially be a host venue. The 16,000-seat Estadio Panamericano in Guadalajara, Jalisco, and the newly-built Estadio Santa Teresita in Tepic, Nayarit are hosting Pool A play in the upcoming Premier12.
Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico seats 18,264 and has hosted pool play in the 2006, 2009, and 2013 World Baseball Classics and eight Caribbean Series, most recently in 2020.
Estadio Quisqueya Juan Marichal in the Dominican capital of Santo Domingo, which seats more than 14,000 and hosts both the Leones del Escogido and Tigres del Licey of LIDOM, as well as the 18,000-seat Estadio Cibao, are potential sites in the Dominican Republic.
